In order to enchance the yield rate of many farm crops, it is desirable to apply various chemical compositions to the drops at different stages of growth thereof. For example, liquid or granulated chemical fertilizers are distributed aerially in order to stimulate growth and development of certain crops. To prevent the crops from being damaged by insect life, fungus and various other damaging factors, it may be desirable to also spray the crops with pesticides (insecticides, fungicides or herbicides) in either liquid or wettable power form. Further, in the case of certain crops such as cotton, for example, where controlled defoliation is desired, aerial spraying is again utilized in order to spray the crops with liquid defoiliant materials.
Where aerial sraying, as well as liquid spraying of other character, is accomplished, it is highly desirable that the liquid material being sprayed fall directly on the crops being sprayed and that wind induced drifting of the sprayed liquid material be eliminated or at least substantially retarded. In the event of substantial quantity of the sprayed particulate is of sufficiently minute size as to be readily entrained in the air and under circumstances where even slight air movement is occurring, the chemical material can be induced to drift with the moving air onto adjacent land where it may be detrimental to plant and/or animal life. It is desirable to provide the agricultural chemcial being sprayed or distributed with a drift influencing composition so that the particulate or spray droplets will be relatively large when distributed and will readily settle out of the air onto the plant life rather than drift away with any prevailing winds that may be present at the time of spraying.
In general, providing agricultural chemicals to be sprayed with thickners to increase the spray solution viscosity to retard drift causes other problems. Namely, higher pumping pressures will be required in order to achieve relatively efficient distribution and these higher pump pressures develop problems from the standpoint of maintenance and repair of the pumping and liquid distribution epuipment typically provided for aerial spraying. Also, higher viscosities cause undesirable plugging of the spray nozzles and a marked decrease in volume of spray solution per unit of time. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a drift influencing composition having good droplet size control qualities for drift control and yet having miminal friction characteristics in order that efficient pumping and spraying distribution may be accomplished a nominal pump pressures.
When farm crops are being sprayed with agricultural chemicals, it is also highly desirable to provide agricultural chemical materials that may be easily handled and may also be prepared in a remote field environment such as the remote landing strips that are typically utilized by agricultural airplanes for crop spraying operations. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a drift retardant composition that may be simply and efficiently transported to such remote facilities in a liquid form of proper concentration and may be simply and efficiently mixed with the agricultural chemicals in order to develop a liquid agricultural chemical composition for immediate loading into the chemical tanks of the airplanes for spraying operations.
In the alternative, it may be desirable to enhance the drift of aerially sprayed chemicals such as in fumigation programs where it is desirable to cover large areas with the agricultural chemical sprayed. It is therefore desirable to provide a drift influencing composition which will enchance the drift of aerially sprayed agricultural chemicals.